AWOSIKA URGES ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS TO LOOK BEYOND RESTORING THE LOST GLORY OF THEIR ALMA MATER

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The Vice Chairman of Troyka Group, Jimi Awosika, an Old Boy of Government College Ibadan (Swanston House, 1967, 2529), has told alumni associations to look beyond restoring the lost glory of their schools, he said they should rather extend their thinking above and beyond the stated quest of merely restoring lost glory, and must go beyond the past, for there is a future to be won. He made the statement at the 91st Anniversary Lecture of Government College Ibadan titled “The Role of Alumni In Restoring The Lost Glory Of Our Secondary Schools In Nigeria: Government College Ibadan As A Case Study, organized by the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) that took place virtually on November 28, 2020.
Awosika started by eulogizing the founding fathers of Government College Ibadan (GCI), the duo of Sir Selwyn MacGregor Grier, the then Director of Education for the Southern Provinces of Nigeria who in collaboration with Mr. E R Swanston, the then Regional Inspector of Education jointly established Government College Ibadan in 1929.
He greatly appreciated their endeavor, particularly the solid rock foundation which in later years brought to bear the peculiar man that is a GCI Boy and or Old Boy.
These outstanding credentials according to the speaker, gave GCI the distinction of being the most prestigious School in Western Nigeria but over the years, the story has changed drastically due to complicated and unfavorable government policies as they concern education in Nigeria till the present day.
Making reference to GCI, he said that the school should be the causative factor for all things that brings a phenomenal impact on the progression of the society, "Man and society must continuously progress", he affirmed.
He appreciated the great effort of Old Boys in time past but posited the need to do more as the current endowment and fundraising activities have proven insufficient in dealing with the multifaceted and systemic issues that are responsible for the sorry state of education in the country.

The Vice Chairman beseeched Old Boys not to allow their morale be dampened but see to the fact that GCI was and should continue to be a mountain where students are equipped with the resources required for elevated thinking and thereafter released to serve society; thereby freeing it from the myre of ignorance and under development occasioned by poor leadership.

As part of solutions to this embarrassing problem, Awosika proposed that the leadership of the Association (GCIOBA) should as a matter of urgency institute a Think - Tank which will assume the form of a Multidisciplinary Laboratory that keeps designing Structures, Strategies, Policies and Learning relevant for domain rule in every area.
This Think - Tank that will be called the GCI Lab to be funded by the Association should be designed as a purpose - built laboratory fit for both thought and practice as a model for the required engagement with government on policy design for human capital development.
To further develop or fine tune this proposal, he suggested an Education Summit that will feature World - Class Leaders and Thinkers in education, development and economics to be organized and funded by the Old Boys Association.
Awosika concluded his very insightful and excellently packaged paper by making particular reference to the Government College Ibadan Motto "Learning To Serve" and he added that Old Boys should remember that the founding fathers had long thought of what the future may look like, thus prepared students that passed through GCI for such a time.
He encouraged all Old Boys to support this initiative of moving GCI to the mountain top which is a place of excellence and greatness by seriously taking the challenge,” we will become the shining exemplar of solution providers”, he said. According to him, the time to bring our light to shine is now.
The Old Boy demonstrated what commitment to this Alumni project is by pledging 10% of his Annual Salary which he said would be paid in advance by the third month of every year for as long as he remains in active service. He encouraged other Old Boys to be generous in giving by equally making their light to shine.

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